


Frazzled Dad and Business Dad

by PrinnPrick



Series: LeonCloud [14]
Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Assumptions, Attempt at Humor, Cloud is what is my life dad, Elementary school kids, Fatherhood, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Red XIII the house cat, Slice of Life, Strifehart, being proven wrong, dad woes, judging others based on looks, single dads, smart-assery, snarkiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinnPrick/pseuds/PrinnPrick
Summary: Cloud is feeling burnt out and frustrated beyond words. It's normal for kids to make off days and breaks impossible (especially his kids), but he's still human. When he sees another man in a fine business suit Cloud gets a little judgey...*****Leon had a long day at the office, but there was nothing like Sora's smile and excitement to help him get over it.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife
Series: LeonCloud [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1354441
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	Frazzled Dad and Business Dad

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LetoaSai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/gifts).



> This is for the lovely LetoaSai! Actually, this whole series is for them. I like their stuff. xD Go check them out!
> 
> In honor of how they prefer to run a series (typically in one-shots), I shall be doing the same thing. I also feel like I'll be less pressured to make updates if it isn't multi-chaptered, which may help my anxiety in the long run. Lets try it!
> 
> No clue how long the entire thing will be, though.
> 
> [-goes to hide in cave of too many ideas-]

Cloud leaned back against his mini-van with a sniff. He stared toward the doors of the elementary school with a grimace (he just hoped Tidus didn't get his hands on any candy while he was there). It was the first day back after the Summer, and he had spent his first day of freedom dealing with a flooding toilet, fixing the kitchen sink pipe after it clogged (this time due to a dinosaur sponge that got caught down the drain*), washing the van while listening to his sister bitch about her boyfriend (again), having the internet and cable go out due to a freak power outage, and stepping in Red XIII's hairballs as it was still shedding season until the weather finally cooled down.

 _Why we had to adopt that fuzzball..._ Cloud sighed, and for the moment chose to dismiss that the cat was usually the only thing to keep him sane; the giant orange tabby hadn't been doing his job today. 

The blonde wore worn-out sweatpants, old sandals that were threatening to rip apart at any moment, a t-shirt he had owned since he was in high school with holes, and a baggy hoody that said "Let Me Remind You That I Forgot" that had bleach stains on the sleeves. He sighed and was just happy he remembered pants he was feeling so exhausted. After all, he _was_ clean (and so were his clothes)... he just also looked like he was impersonating a homeless person.

There were other parents already there (some that gave him the dirty eye, which he yawned at), but only one in particular caught his eye. He was there early so only about five cars had arrived, which gave Cloud the most primo place to pick his insane children up. To his left was another car (an expensive, sleek, black car with a fresh wax) and in front of it stood a man who looked just as expensive and sleek with a black suit on. The man checked his watch, and even from Cloud's vantage point of a small distance away he could tell the brand of it was high up in the multi-zeroes price range. The brunette he was spying on looked up; their eyes caught (or he assumed they did, the man was wearing sunglasses) and then the brunette turned away with an impatient frown.

Cloud looked down at his outfit, suddenly self-conscious, and then over his van. He surreptitiously glared in the brunette's direction. _Probably a tight ass in all the wrong ways. Look at his rigid posture and stupid sunglasses... I bet he's a hard-ass on his kids, too._

The bell rang. Despite that, Cloud knew he most likely wouldn't be heading home anytime soon. His youngest son, Roxas, who started first grade that day would probably be delighted to return home as soon as possible and wouldn't be an issue... Tidus his third grader, on the other hand, always took forever (and sometimes needed to be hunted down), so he was prepared to be stuck there another twenty minutes at least.

First out was an itty-bitty brunette baby going as fast as a cheetah. He had chubby cheeks that suited his giant, toothy grin and fell three times while giggling his head off as he bounded like an excited puppy across the school lawn. The little boy wore a pink shirt with a red star on the left and blue shorts. Cloud chuckled at the energetic bundle; he was adorable, sure, but probably a mess at home. 

Surprisingly, it was the man by the extremely nice car who took a few quick steps forward to meet him. The man smiled wide at the boy, and then swept him up and away from his fourth fall into a tight, swinging hug. They both looked ecstatic to see each other.

Cloud blinked. _... Huh... Well, ain't I an asshole._ He sighed to himself. _I really gotta learn to stop bein' so defensive... Maybe that's why Roxas is a grump? He picks up on my angry vibes._

The man set the boy down and they walked the few feet together to the car. The suit kneeled down to the kid's level and pulled his sungasses off. Cloud gave a silent gasp: the man had a scar on his handsome face that wasn't visible before, and the silverest-blue eyes he had ever seen (they were like steel and sky mixed together). The brunette gave the very excitable boy the glasses, who wore them proudly as he jumped into the car at last (that was also when Cloud noticed the kid had a bookpack shaped like a monkey). 

The brunette man looked up at Cloud with a frown, nodded his head in some sort of greeting, and moved to presumably buckle his baby in. 

"Stop touchin' me!" Whined a familiar voice and Cloud jerked away in time to see Tidus floating a finger barely an inch away from the smaller blonde's face.

"I'm not touching you!"

"Close counts! Stop it!"

"Does not," Tidus sing-songed back.

"Go _away_!"

"Can you two please take a day to not fight?" Cloud snapped, which instantly got their attention. Tidus jerked away from Roxas guiltily. "Either way, T, it counts as annoying your brother. You remember the talk we had yesterday? And at the beginning of Summer?"

Cloud had his hands on his hips as he frowned sternly at his boys.

"Yes..." Tidus murmured as he moved to get into the van first.

"I didn't hear you," Cloud leaned in to say with his lips thinning.

"Yes! Gosh!"

"Yes what?"

"Yes, _sir_!"

"Better."

Cloud helped Roxas into his seat and buckled him up carefully.

"I've had a crappy mornin', boys--"

"Don't you always?" Tidus interrupted with a cheeky smile.

"More than usual, and I'd stop the smart-aleck nonsense today unless you want me to drag you out in front of your friends and kiss you!"

"Ewww!!"

Cloud smirked to himself as he made sure both boys were secured. "No more fightin' today. And no more stickin' things down the drain! That has got to stop! Ya nearly broke the sink this time with your dinosaur things..."

"They're magic grow, dad!"

"Yeah," Cloud grunted as he finally stood up and grasped the door handle, "and they magically grew into a clog. Do it again and no more weird little things you could swallow and kill yourselves with. If I can't trust you not to destroy the house with'em, how can I trust you with yourselves?"

Cloud closed the door on Tidus's reply. Tidus always had a reply to everything.

The blonde man looked up to see the brunette family was gone. _... Guy was kinda hot, I guess. Oh well. When would either of us have time to date? Probably straight, too._

Cloud hopped in a second later to the driver's side. As soon as he did, Roxas laid into the complaints as Tidus dug into his bag for something.

"School is stupid!"

"Don't say 'stupid', Roxas."

"Well, it is! My teacher was dumb and this red-head named Axel made me play House with him. House! I wanted to play legos!"

"Did you tell Axel that?" Cloud turned the car on and carefully began to navigate his way out of the parking lot.

"Yes, so we made a dog with them--a _house_ dog! He turned legos into house--that's not right!"

"Why not? It's okay to mix things up."

Roxas looked at Cloud through the rearview mirror as if his father were clearly an idiot.

"It's _legos_ , dad. You're supposed to do stuff like buildings with them. Not dogs!"

Cloud sighed and nodded his head. "Right."

Tidus finally found what he was looking for, and Cloud knew it a second later as a large bouncy ball nearly cracked the windshield as it flew between the two front seats. His eldest was wincing. Cloud barely stopped himself from stomping the brake in shock.

"Sorry, dad! I was aiming for the chair!"

Cloud grabbed the ball, which had landed on the seat, without removing his eyes from the road for more than a glance. "You are **absolutely not to ever** throw a thing of any kind in a movin' vehicle! That is so dangerous we could have had an accident and hurt ourselves!"

"So it's fine in a not moving vehicle?"

"You're grounded."

"What?! Oh, come on!"

"You almost hit me in the head and still wanna sass me? No television for a week."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Not okay. No. Throwing. In, at, or around the car!"

Tidus immediately began a tornado of "Roxas is the favorite and gets away with everything" while Roxas whined Tidus was being too loud until they were arguing with each other and their voices grew shrill. Traffic had come to a stop due to all the schools getting out, and his bad day was only getting worse.

As the migraine began to set in Cloud silently reminded himself he loved his boys dearly.

*****

"Did you have a good day today, Sora?" Leon asked as he weaved through the crowd of buses and parents.

"Yeah! I made a new friend named Riku who was sick last year so he's a year older than me, but we're in the same grade and he has silver hair! Isn't that cool?!" Sora hugged his bookbag tight enough that if it were a real monkey it would be suffocating to death. The tiny boy, smaller than most his age (which had been a bit of a concern since children like to bully other kids for stuff like that), beamed as he bounced in his seat.

Leon smiled softly. "And your teacher?"

"I looooooved her! She's super nice and pretty and can draw super good!"

The older man chuckled. "Good. I'm glad you liked it." Leon peered for only a moment at Sora, who looked so cute in sunglasses way too big for him, through the rearview. "I hope you make lots of friends."

"Me, too!"

The drive went quiet. During the short time of him waiting for his son and now in the car he had received four separate calls, though his assistant was supposed to be taking those. Leon specifically said for the two hours in which he picked up his kid and helped him with his homework that he was absolutely _not_ available, and now there would probably be a giant pile of trash to pick up later. 

_Ugh... that idiot. He can't even handle taking my phone calls? I told you not to transfer them._ Leon rolled his eyes and frowned at the road just in time for a fifth phone call to come in. The noise always surprised Sora, so he had it on mute. His screen on the car blinked at him to alert him instead.

"Daddy, can I have ice cream tonight?" Sora asked as he stuck his lip out and tried to look as pathetic as possible.

"Not until Sunday, Sunshine. You know the routine."

"But today is special! It was my first day ever!"

Leon hummed out loud as he considered it. "Well, it is a special day..."

Sora vigorously nodded his head and bit his lip excitedly.

"But you have school tomorrow and you won't sleep right."

And suddenly, the boy's whole world crumbled. "Aww..."

Leon chortled. "How about instead we grab some fast-food? Your choice."

Sora gasped. "Yes! We never get fast-food!"

"Glad we could compromise."

"Comprimize!"

"All right, monkey... Let's grab dinner and I'll help you with your school work. Did you get any today?"

"Nope!" Sora popped the "p". "We said our names and drew."

"I see... I'll have time, though. How about we watch a movie, then?"

Sora was bouncing so hard the glasses fell off one ear. "Fast-food and a moooovvviiieee!"

Leon breathed a sigh and quirked his lips a little further. _You're the best part of my day. I'm not letting my incompetent Secretary ruin that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinosaur Sponge! You know those dinosaur sponges that actually come in tiny pill capsules? If not, now you do! They open up in water and are cute, but also dangerous.

**Author's Note:**

> Remember that AO3 is being weird about alerting people to stuff, so be sure to check in on your favorite authors time to time. Some of my subscriptions aren't alerting me, either!


End file.
